Inaugural Lecture Prof Hellen Myezwa HIV and Disability

Impact on Organs

Professor Hellen Myezwa

Professor Hellen Myezwa is the Head, School of Therapeutic Sciences, Faculty of Health Sciences at the University of the Witwatersrand. Hellen Myezwa is an expert in HIV and disability, and she conducted one of the first studies to define the extent of HIV disability in the African setting. Subsequently, she has been involved in research to understand the scope and impact of disability in people living with HIV and has conducted one of the first population-based studies. Additional research projects include understanding the impact of HIV on the risk of ischaemic heart disease and community-based intervention to minimize this risk. The effect of exercise programmes on peripheral neuropathy in HIV and several projects exploring the musculoskeletal function in HIV. In addition to this, Professor Myezwa has expertise in the epidemiology of disability. Professor Myezwa has a keen understanding of the interface between the needs of people with HIV and other chronic conditions and service delivery needs, and which is augmented by her expertise in rehabilitation service delivery as before joining the University of the Witwatersrand, she managed and developed rehabilitation services in a public health sector for 15 years. Her second arm of research involves the study of service delivery systems and has research involving service delivery management, models, their structure and monitoring and evaluation systems. She is a C2 NRF rated researcher and have served on NRF rating panels. Professor Myezwa has published 78 articles in peer-reviewed journals to date and co-authored a book in special education with input on community approaches and a book chapter in the book “Perspectives in Performing Arts Medicine Practice”. She has supervised 24 postgraduate students and currently supervising six postgraduate students. Professor Myezwa has a Masters degree in community rehabilitation from the University of Pretoria and a PhD focussed on mainstreaming HIV into Physiotherapy education from the University of the Witwatersrand. She also holds a  Master’s in leadership, management and executive coaching, which qualifies her as an executive coach and sharpens her leadership in business skills and coaching of younger academics.

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